


First Encounter

by Sharcade



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Babies, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Minor Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-06 22:58:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15895854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharcade/pseuds/Sharcade
Summary: Connor and Hank take a trip uptown for a special meeting.





	First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> I've been in a bit of a writing slump lately, so this story is pretty much just me ranting on a page. Enjoy!

"The countryside is fairly lovely."

"Yeah, the whole drive up's like this." Hank yawned, eyeing Connor. "Come to think of it, is this your first time out of Detroit?"

Connor nods, still watching out the window as lush hills and farms whirred past. The city wasn't green, the city wasn't spacious, Connor wasn't used to seeing sights like this. Connor especially wasn't used to seeing farms on the  _ground_ , he had known of their existence, but it still seemed foreign to him as he stared on. Hank had been excited to get out of the city for once, and when his cousin had announced her newly born baby, it had been the perfect excuse to visit her several hours out of Detroit. Connor had tagged along, of course, on Hank's request. He didn't mind so much, it would be nice to be able to visualize the sights that Hank always explained to him.

"It still surprises me that farming was originally a grounded activity," Connor mumbled, resting his head on his palm as the car hummed. "It takes up so much space."

"This is real farming, none of that rooftop shit."

"I'm just surprised there's still so much countryside left untouched by advanced technology."

"Do androids farm?"

"Not like this, farming androids are assigned to rooftop farms."

"Well Emily's got a big-ass farm up at her place, you'll like it."

"It'll certainly be interesting to observe." Connor agreed, smiling slightly. "Does she live there?"

"For as long as I can remember. Now her kid's gonna live there too I guess."

"Raising a baby must be so enriching," Connor mused, shifting his attention back to Hank. "Human reproduction is fascinating. You're one of the only species that raise their young to full adulthood."

"And then some," Hank muttered, gesturing to Connor who chuckled quietly in response.

His relationship with Hank had evolved beyond recognition since the revolution. Connor had moved in - again, upon Hank's request - and had taken up residence on Hank's couch, despite Hank's offers to provide him with a proper bedroom. While Connor's role in the house had become many things - something of a cleaner, something of a companion - he had become like a son to Hank above all else. Connor was well aware that he could never fill the tiny shoes Hank's real son had left behind, but it didn't stop him from trying.

"You ever seen a baby before, Connor?"

"Not in person," Connor confirmed, cocking his head slightly. "Are they particularly interesting up close?"

"Well us  _humans_ are made to think so," Hank explained. "But I dunno if an android would get those same instincts."

"I doubt it, I'm not a domestic android. Perhaps an AX400 would have a different reaction."

"Like Kara?"

"Indeed."

"Well it's a damn cute kid, I can tell you that much." Hank continued. "Looks just like her."

Connor nodded in thought, returning his gaze to the scenery out his window. While child androids existed, baby androids had yet to be introduced and likely never would be given the status of the revolution. Connor had never considered the prospect of having a child of his own, it wasn't a concept that interested him just yet. Connor was still learning how to love, how to  _be_ loved, he wasn't ready to depart his knowledge onto a child just yet. Not until he got to live out the family life he had earned for himself. Not yet.

That being said, if Connor did want a child, he had  _no idea_ who he would have a child  _with._ His body couldn't reproduce, that wouldn't be an option, any child he chose to have would need to be adopted or born from a surrogate. Markus had argued in the past that androids should be able to reproduce at will by ordering babies from CyberLife, though his proposal had yet to go through. It was a lot for Connor to think about, but not right now, not yet.

"Her name is Ainjel or something," Hank droned, rolling his eyes. "Spelt all dumb, like A-I-N-J-E-L."

"That is not how you spell Angel."

" _Exactly._ It's stupid. People need to give their children regular names with regular spelling."

"Like Connor."

"Exactly."

"And Hank."

"Exactly."

"What would you have named me if the decision had been left to you?" Connor asked curiously, glancing at Hank as he toyed with his seatbelt. "Say, if I had been your son from birth."

"Hell, if I had a second son?" Hank mused, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove along. "Maybe Jacob? Or Carson?"

"Carson is fairly close to Connor, are you satisfied with that?"

"Yeah, I'm satisfied." Hank chuckled quietly.

"Ah- We're two minutes from our destination," Connor noted, watching closely out the window. "What does it look like?"

"Keep your eyes out for a big red barn and a little yellow house."

"Affirmative."

There weren't many buildings this far out, which made Connor's task fairly easy. He waited as fields passed, his eyes finally meeting with the big red barn Hank had described to him. Emily's lot also had a large field, full of what Connor could easily identify as sweetcorn. She was a sweetcorn farmer. Connor had been hoping for pumpkins - far more aesthetically pleasing, in his opinion - but sweetcorn would do. 

"We've arrived at our destination."

"Fuck, you sound like an old GPS."

Connor was the first to step out of the car, taking in a deep breath as the untouched air filled his artificial lungs. His body seemed to cool, the feeling of fresh air surprisingly pleasant despite his inability to truly breathe. A small smile graced his features, Hank following his lead and getting out of the car soon after. Connor wondered how many times Hank had been up here before.

"The air is wonderful," Connor commented, leaning against the car as he took in the view.

"Glad you can appreciate it, kid."

"As am I."

The walk up the driveway was quiet, Connor taking in the soothing surroundings of the lot as they approached the barn. Maybe Connor would like to live on a farm, maybe that would be a nice change of pace. Of course, his commute would be a nightmare, and he would miss Hank and Sumo too much for it to be a truly pleasant experience. Connor tucked that thought away; it was a thought for later, he didn't have to consider his lone living conditions, not yet.

"Lieutenant?"

"What's on your mind?"

"If my reaction to the baby is not that of natural human nurturing instinct, will you be upset?"

"What?" Hank muttered, stopping in his tracks and glancing at Connor quizzically. "Why would I be upset?"

Connor didn't know why he had even asked that question, in honesty. He knew Hank wouldn't be upset with him, but in the back of his mind, he couldn't shake the thought that there was something wrong if he couldn't react naturally to a baby. Connor wanted to be everything Hank was missing, Connor wanted to be what Hank needed, and Hank needed a son. A human son. A human son who could respond normally to things a human should respond to.

Hank wouldn't be upset. Connor would.

"Kid, are you okay?"

"I'm sorry," Connor blurted out, the words tumbling out of him before he could even take a moment to register them. "I-...I don't know how to be what you need."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I don't-..." Connor took a deep breath. "I don't know how to be Cole."

The silence of the countryside suddenly felt deafening, only the quiet sounds of the wind rustling Emily's crops entering Connor's ears. Connor prided himself on his ability to read Hank, he knew Hank better than anybody, and the fact that he couldn't read Hank's stoic expression at the moment unnerved him a little. Hank wasn't speaking, he wanted Hank to speak, he wanted Hank to say something,  _anything._

"That's not what I need."

Connor blinked in surprise, furrowing his brow slightly and glancing down. Cole's death had been Hank's undoing, it had spiralled him into a pit of drinking and depression and pain, of course Cole was what he needed. With Connor playing the role of his son, Hank had improved both at work and at home, he was performing better than he had in years and he was  _happy._ Without Connor to play Cole, Hank wouldn't be here. 

"That's what I want," Hank muttered. "That's not what I need."

"I-I'm afraid I don't understand, Lieutenant."

Connor swallowed. Why was he stuttering?

"I  _want_ Cole," Hank continued, resuming his walk back up the driveway by Connor's side. "I want Cole every goddamn day, that'll never end. But that's not what I need."

"So what is it that you-"

"I need you to just be yourself."

Connor was quiet for a moment, keeping his eyes on the ground and tucking his hands anxiously into his pockets. Connor was still learning who he was, Connor was still learning what he liked and what he didn't like and where he wanted to go and what he wanted to  _do_ , trying to become Cole had given him a sense of purpose again. Being an android without a task had been challenging, especially with his newfound emotions. Connor didn't know who he was. Connor didn't know how to be himself.

He wanted to know.

"Now what do you say we go see this fuckin' baby?"

"...Right, Lieutenant."

Connor was quiet as Hank knocked on the door, a quick pang of nervousness rushing through him as he realized that he had never met this Emily. Every new meeting was uncomfortable, Connor constantly held concern that not everybody would be as quick to accept his android status as Hank had been. He wondered if this woman would even want him anywhere near her baby. Connor swallowed.

"Hank! Come on in!"

Hank offered not much more than a grunt as he pushed his way inside, Emily not seeming to care as she instead turned her attention to Connor, who was still standing awkwardly on the porch. Connor allowed himself to relax a bit as Emily looked over him, her smile not dropping for a moment as she reached out to shake his hand.

"And you've gotta be  _Connor._ "

"Yes, ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you." Connor replied, shaking her hand firmly.

"Hank's told me all about you, come on in!"

Connor complied quickly as Emily pushed him along, his gaze roaming the house. It was decorated nicely, many of the decorations presumably homemade. Family photos adorned the walls, photos of Emily and what Connor presumed to be her husband.  Emily was a family person.

"Here she is."

Connor was snapped out of his analysis by Emily's voice, Hank nudging him lightly as Emily gestured to Ainjel's crib. All of the sudden, Connor felt frozen on the spot. Ainjel was small, smaller than any human he had seen, she was tiny and pudgy and blinking blankly up at Connor with his wide blue eyes. She was something incredible, Connor felt his face heating up as he was overcome with feelings he couldn't identify. His LED blinked yellow.

"She's so tiny..." Connor mumbled, peering further into the crib. "Hank, she's  _tiny._ "

"Yeah kid, she's a baby."

" _She's so small."_

Connor couldn't pin down what emotion he was feeling, something maternal and instinctual and warm, he wanted to make sure no harm came to this baby under any circumstances. 

"I want to protect her," Connor murmured, gently stroking the baby's light hair. "Hank, she's so small."

"She sure is." Hank chuckled, folding his arms as he watched Connor. "Getting attached?"

Connor nodded quietly, softly poking at Ainjel's face. She didn't seem to care, her tongue poking out of her mouth casually as Connor watched her. She was more fragile than Connor could put into words, it was incredible to him that a human could make something like this with their body alone.

"You're a very talented creator," Connor remarked, glancing over his shoulder at Emily. "This one is good."

"Thanks Connor!"

"Connor, look."

Connor perked up at Hank's voice, glancing back at Ainjel. Her tiny hand had wrapped around his finger, holding it so gently that Connor could barely feel it. Connor felt like his heart was going to explode, she was something incredible. Was this a human nurturing instinct? Was this what Hank had felt for his son?

Was this what Hank had felt for him?

"Looks like we guessed wrong," Hank snickered, resting a hand on Connor's shoulder. "You've got dad instincts after all."

 

"I guess so," Connor chuckled weakly. "I wonder why."

"Sometimes you can't explain why you wanna take care of somebody, sometimes a kid's just important to you. That's parenthood."

"I'll be right back boys," Emily called over her shoulder, walking into the kitchen. "Gonna grab us drinks!"

A moment of quiet passed, Connor still watching the baby as she kicked lightly in her crib. His mind was stirring, despite the calming nature of their trip, his emotions had been hectic and busy today. If Connor could care about a random baby this much just from seeing it, what did that say about his relationship with Hank? Did Hank care about him like he cared about the baby? Did Hank have those same instincts, those instincts to protect?

"Lieutenant?" Connor started quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Did you have these same instincts towards Cole?"

"Of course."

"...Did you have these same instincts towards me?"

"Still do."

Connor couldn't help but smile slightly. He knew he couldn't be Cole, Hank didn't want him to be Cole, Hank wanted him to be  _Connor_. Hank wanted him to be himself. Hank cared about Connor despite himself, despite everything he had known about androids, Hank had still had those instincts that told him to protect, that told him to love. Hank was his family. Connor may not have known everything about himself, but he knew that much.

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

"No worries, kid."


End file.
